Couch-display truck.



No. 808,229. PATENTED DEC. 26. 1905, J. BOOHNEWBTCH.

COUCH DISPLAY TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

H C T E W B N H G 0 B J COUCH DISPLAY TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

lllllllll UNITED STAEESPiFENT onmon.

- JACOB BOOHNEWETOH, OF SILVEROREEK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SIL- VER CREEK SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF SILVEROREEK, NEW YORK,

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COUCH-DISPLAY TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BooHNnwEToH, a citizen of the United States. residing at Silvercreek, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Couch-Display Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the display trucks or stands employed for supporting couches in an upright position inorder to exhibitthe same to advantage and economize in floor-space.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a strong, simple, and inexpensive truck of this kind to which the couch can be readily applied and which is not liable to mar exposed parts of the couch.

Further objects are to so construct the truck that it can be adjusted to suit the varying locations of the legs of different couches and to improve its construction in other respects.

1n the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is afront view of the improved display-truck, showinga couch mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the platform of the truck. Fig. A is a front elevation of the truck, partly in section, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section in line 5 5, Fig. 4:.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The base or platform of the truck is provided with the usual casters a and may be of any suitable construction. It preferably consists of iron side barsAA'and a similar crossbar A, connecting their rear ends and formed integral therewith, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The platform is provided in front of its rear bar A withaplate or strip A adapted to support the head ofthe couch when placed on the truck, so as to avoid indenting the l iead,which would be liable to occur if the same were allowed to rest upon the narrow side bars A. The ends of this supporting-plate may be bent, around the side bars, as best shown'in Fig. 4.

From the front portion of the wheel-plat form rise a pair of uprights or standardsBB, preferably provided at their upper ends with vertically-adjustable bars or extensions B, each of which is secured to the adjacent standard by a transverse clamping-bolt 0, carried by one of said members and passing through a vertical slot 0' in the other member, as shown in the drawings. Any other suitable means may,

however, be employed for adj ustably securing the extensions to the standards. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the extensions are provided at their lower ends with lateral lips or flanges d, which embrace the front and rear edges of the standards and prevent the extensions from turning out of line with the standarcls. The standards are firmly connectedby a horizontal brace or tie bar D, and the extensions B are connected by a similar bar E, the bars being riveted or otherwise secured to these parts. The standards, with their extensions and the tie-bars D E, constitute an upright frame composed of upper and lower sections, the upper one of which is vertically adjustable on the lowerone. The standards or upright bars are preferably formed. in one piece with the side bars A of the platform and arranged in a plane at right angles to the general plane of the upright frame, as shown in the drawings. This construction renders the upright frame much stiffer than if the flat sides of its upright bars were parallel with the general plane of the frame and dispenses with braces between said frame and the base.

F F indicate fastening members arranged at opposite sides of the upright frame of the truck and capable of moving outward in opposite directions for engaging the inner sides of the front legs of the couch or its rails. In the preferred construction shown in the drawings these fastening members consist of transverse rods, guided in openings formed in the upper ends of the extensions B and provided at their outer ends with one or more prongs or spurs f, adapted to penetrate the inner sides of the adjacent legs of the couch or the rails when the same is placed on the truck in an upright position, with its head resting on the plate A as shown in Figsl and 2. In the construction shown each rod is provided with three of such prongs, which project from a head or cross-barfflformed on or secured to the outer end of the rod. The sliding rods F are simultaneously shifted in opposite directions by a hand-lever G, which is pivoted centrally to the upper tie-bar E and to which the inner ends of said rods are pivoted pins h, located on opposite sides of the leverfulcrum. By this construction, upon swinging the lever toward the right, as shown in Fig. 1, both rods F are thrust outward, causing their prongs. to. penetrate the legs ofthe couch and securely holding the latter in position on the truck, while upon swinging the lever in the opposite direction the rods are retracted and the couch is released. The rods are fitted in their guide-openings with sufficient looseness to prevent binding of the same in following the movements of their operatinglever. Any suitable means may be employed for locking this lever in place to prevent accidental disengagement of the pointed rods from the couch-legs. The preferred locking means shown in the drawings consist of an inwardly-projecting lip or tooth t', formed at the rear or trailing edge of the lever and adapted to interlock with one of a series of ratchet-teeth 6, formed at the front edge of the lower tie-bar D, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lever and the upper tie-bar E having sufficient elasticity to permit the lever to be sprung out of engagement with the ratchetteeth.

To avoid injury to persons by coming in contact with the prongs f when the display-truck is not in use, the prongs are preferably provided with suitable guards J, which normally cover and protect the prongs, but recede and expose the same when they are forced into the couch-legs. Each of these guards may consist of a bar having openings 7', which register with the prongs and through which the latter protrude when the bar is moved inward by contact with the inner side of the couchleg. This bar is carried by horizontal stems it, extending inwardly from its ends and guided in openings h, formed in the ends of the head f, these stems having stop lips or heads for limiting the outward movement of the guard-bar, as shown in Fig. 4. The guard-bar is normally held in line with or slightly beyond the points of the prongs by springs Z, applied to the stems Zr between the guard-bar and the front side of the head f.

It will be observed that in this improved display-truck the fastening members F, which secure the couch to the truck, do not come in contact with any of its exposed parts, but penetrate or engage with the inner sides of the legs or the rails. As these parts are hidden from View and usually unfinished, all liability of marring exposed surfaces of the couch is avoided. The truck, moreover, has no unsightly parts which project beyond the sides of the couch when the latter is in position thereon, and it does not, therefore, detract from the appearance of the couch in exhibiting it. As the fastening-rods are operated simultaneously by a lever or equivalent actuating device, the couch can be quickly and conveniently secured or released. I

If desired, the couch may be lowered so as to rest on its legs without requiring the truck to be detached.

The legs of different couches are not located at a uniform distance fromthe ends of the couch, and to meet these varying conditions the extensions B, which carry the fasteningrods, are made vertically adjustable, as hereinbe'fore described.

I claim as my invention 1. A couch-dis play truck, comprising abase or platform, an upright frame rising therefrom, oppositely movable fastening rods guided on said frame and provided at their outer ends with prongs adapted to penetrate the inner sides of the couch-legs, a toothed locking-bar arranged on the upright frame below said rods, and an operating-lever pivoted to said frame and connected with the inner ends of said rods and adapted to interlock with said toothed bar, substantially as set forth.

2. A couch-display truck, comprising a base or platform, an upright frame rising therefrom and consisting of a lower section rigidly mounted on the platform and an upper section capable of vertical adjustment on the lower section, and movable fastening members mounted on said adjustable section and adapted to engage the couch, substantially as set forth.

3. A couch-display truck, comprising a base or platform, uprights rising from said base and having upward extensions capable of vertical adjustment thereon, a tie-bar connecting said extensions, a toothed bar connecting said uprights, laterally-movable fastening-rods guided in said extensions and provided at their outer ends with prongs adapted to penetrate the inner sides of the couch-legs, and an operating-lever pivoted to said tie-bar and connected with the inner ends of said rods on opposite sides of its fulcrum and adapted to interlock with said toothed bar, substantially as set forth.

4. In a couch-display truck, the combination of a base or platform, an upright frame rising therefrom, laterally-movable fasteningrods guided on the upright frame and provided at their outer ends with prongs adapted to penetrate the couch-legs, means for operating said rods, and yielding guards applied to said prongs, substantially as set forth.

5. In acouch-display truck, the combination of a base or platform, an upright frame rising therefrom, laterally-movable fasteningrods guided on the upright frame and provided at their outer ends with heads carrying prongs, means for operating said rods, guardbars applied to said prongs and each provided with openings registering with the prongs and stems extending inwardly from the bar and guided in the corresponding head, and springs applied to said stems between said heads and said guard-bars, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 31st day of October,

JACOB BOOHNEWETCH. \Vitnesses:

R. J. TUoLE, M. (J. LAURENCE. 

